10% Ethanol

That alcohol crap fuel gums up much faster than pure gasoline. After plugging up the carbs on my garage queen GS1000 I bought a jug of Staybil and use it in my bikes and the fuel in my gas can. No issues since (knock on wood).

SmokyOwl wrote: In my comings and goings, I've always used 91 octane (or higher) gas, and in my area that usually also means non-ethanol. Now if I were to go to an area that has 91 or higher octane, but also has that "up to 10% ethanol" crap in it...will I be OK to completely refill my tank? ?

That's all they sell in Kali. Been running it 35 years.

swest wrote: None close by. It does tarnish new jets quickly I can tell you that. I'll bet the rubber parts will fail sooner.
Steve

My fuel pressure regulator failed on my Chevy at about 30k miles. Always wondered if the gasohol did it.

Go to click on your state and find out what gas stations near you sells alcohol free gas. :lol:

It seems more and more gas stations are selling it.look at Nebraska. The heart of corn country. They have quite the number listed. There are even a few pure gas stations in MA and CA.

Conoco stations in N. Idaho has 91 octane no alcohol gas.

bountyhunter wrote:

swest wrote: None close by. It does tarnish new jets quickly I can tell you that. I'll bet the rubber parts will fail sooner.
Steve

My fuel pressure regulator failed on my Chevy at about 30k miles. Always wondered if the gasohol did it.

Yeah, it's highly corrosive which is why I never rushed to do an E85 tune but when the electronics came out that allowed me to use the flex tune and switch between I think I'll be ok with that. Have to run special everything which is why I think engines may fail quicker as the rings and cylinder walls on the 85 percent part get the better of them and everything else. I'll probably just run that E85 fuel on the track or when I want a little extra power. Well more than a little extra. With my current tune I'm running 400hp and I should see about 50-60 extra ponies as a result.
Now to talk to bikes. In Brasil I smell the fast bikes running alcohol. I'm thinking E85 mix. It's big there. Maybe they will get it together and figure out how to run engines on pure alcohol to last. Would save our planet a bit of everything.

Your really have a 2 part question...
Is there any reason to run higher octane and what are the risks of 10% ethanol.
The octane question depends on your bike and riding conditions. Higher compression or more timing advance will require higher octane to prevent detonation (pinging). More weight (passenger, gear, years of good food/beer) or long up hill pulls can also load the engine more, causing detonation with lower octane fuel. You can experiment with lower octanes until you detect pinging if you want to save some money at the pump. Higher octane will not give you any level of higher performance. However, I still run the highest I can find in my bikes. I don't burn hundreds gallons a year where I would see a significant savings. Waste of money or cheap insurance...you decide.
Ethanol is the bigger issue. It is more corrosive and leaves more evaporation residue, This can cause all sorts of issues, especially if the bike sits for extended period. I do two things to minimize the ethanol effects. I recently started using StaBil 360. It claims to provide a vapor corrosion protection above the fuel level. We''l see. Second, at the end of a rideday, I shut off the petcock and run the bike until it dies. This at least gets the fuel level below the jets and hopefully minimizes any corrosion or residue to the float bowl only. Running your bike with a tank full of Ethanol is not a major risk. Leaving it sit over the winter is a different story.

From my experience on my bike I've advanced the timing a tad and am running just a little rich. Around here the ratings are 85, 87, sometimes 89 and 91. I usually go the 87 route. The bike is lethargic w/85 and it doesn't want to start with 91. I guess I could tune it to 91 but I'm doing good with the mid-grade. Higher octane has a slower burn rate so it makes sense to advance a little.

I usually run my bike pretty regularly so i don't worry much about moisture absorbing in the gas. I do know it accelerates degradation of rubber based parts unless you buy very expensive E-proof components if they're available. I see that link shows Cardwell Dist has a E-free pump maybe I'll try them next tank. They're only about 3-4 miles from me and only slightly out of the way.

I was hinted a while back to keep Politics out of the KZ motorcycle forum. But!
YES! ethanol blend gas sucks! Period. Luckily the EPA did not follow the plan from current POTUS.
Read excerpt below. The United States Gov wants to mandate 15% ethanol! WTF???!!!

I help run a AA/Gas Nostalgia gasser race car, runs on Methanol and super charged. Fuel is very corrosive.
Fuel system always has to be drained completely while sitting longer than a few days.
But over the past here I always praised "Marvels Mystery Oil" 1 ounce to 5 gallons of fuel (recommended) I use 2 ounces!
My old vintage Harley shovelhead still has the soft valves seats from factory when leaded fuel was around. The lead lubricated the valve seats. I have changed vales once and pistons once since new. I was 2nd owner. I run .030 over forged Wiseco's. Put them in in 1989. Still tight and don't burn any oil!
But all vehicles can benifit from Marvels, I use it in lawn mower, snow blower all the motorcycles, 3 new vehicles I have owned.
And a little goes into the Gasser along with blower lube.
Marvels Mystery Oil! Just do it!!!!!!!
EPA VS. POTUS he wants 15%
The Obama administration backed off its so-called ethanol mandate Monday, dealing a blow to President Obama’s promise of a green energy revolution just as he and other world leaders opened a new round of historic climate change talks in Paris.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s latest round of ethanol mandates — known as the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and initiated during President George W. Bush’s time in office — came under fire from all sides, with proponents of ethanol blending saying the rules fall far short of what the nation needs to continue cutting greenhouse gas emissions and from critics who say the entire system is flawed and must be scrapped.
The regulations call for at least 18.11 billion gallons of renewable fuels to be blended into the nation’s gasoline supply in 2016, significantly above the 17.4 billion gallons initially proposed earlier this year but far below the 22.3 billion-gallon requirement set by Congress in 2007 legislation.
Blending homegrown ethanol into gasoline, supporters say, helps reduce emissions and cut American dependence on foreign fuel. But the standards have run into practical problems, most notably the fact that most automobiles and gas stations aren’t equipped to handle fuel containing more than 10 percent ethanol — a problem commonly referred to as the “blend wall.”
Inability to overcome that blend wall is the main reason EPA has been unable to meet the congressionally mandated ethanol levels and, at this point, is essentially ignoring federal law.
Still, EPA says its most recent figures will require the blending of more than 10 percent ethanol into gasoline, and administration officials are confident that can be done.

Another place to obtain ethanol free fuel (that is not often thought of) is any marina.

You want to look for gasoline labeled as follows...






Common in ND and MN, may be available in WI too, look for it near lakes....

bluezbike wrote: Another place to obtain ethanol free fuel (that is not often thought of) is any marina.

Sounds pricey.